Hunter Brown gets the start on Opening Day for the Houston Astros.
Manager Joe Espada announced the righty would be taking the hill for the Mar. 26 game against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.
Brown, 27, heads into his fifth big league season. The native of Detroit finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2025. Brown was 12-9 with a 2.43 earned run average and WHIP of 1.025 over 185.1 innings pitched across 31 starts. His season was rewarded with his first career All-Star appearance.
Framber Valdez had been the team’s Opening Day starter for the past four seasons, but the lefty departed for the Detroit Tigers in free agency, signing a three-year, $115 million deal.